How the nutritional value and consumer acceptability of suckling lambs meat is affected by the maternal feeding system

The effects of two lambs rearing systems - suckling from stall-fed (hay and concentrate) or pasture-fed mothers - on carcass characteristics, meat quality, fatty acids composition, vitamin E content and collagen characteristics, were studied in eighteen lambs. The effect of consumer knowledge about the lamb-rearing system on the hedonic ratings of meat was also assessed through consumer testing. Lambs subdivided into two experimental groups (No. 9) of different maternal feeding system received exclusively maternal milk and were slaughtered at 45 days of age. A higher leg weight with a higher proportion of fat and a lower proportion of lean resulted from the lambs of pasture-fed mothers, while total muscle protein content was higher in lambs of stall-fed mothers. Intramuscular saturated fatty acids (SFA) were lower in lambs from pasture-fed mothers, while polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), linolenic acid (18:3 n-3), and n-3 fatty acids were higher, displaying more favourable indexes for human health (n-6/n-3, SFA/PUFA, thrombogenic index). Maternal pasture feeding also caused higher α-tocopherol content and different collagen characteristics. The consumer test showed that when information on the animal rearing system was provided, the meat from lambs of pasture-fed mothers was preferred to meat from lambs of stall-fed mothers. In conclusion, this study has shown that maternal feeding system in the stall or in pasture affects the nutritional value of suckling lamb meat and consumer acceptability after they are given information on the production system.